It’s not over yet, guys. Sure, all the autumn stuff is in the shops and the weather’s not as great as it was a few weeks back, but it’s August, there’s still plenty of summer to be had. So, if you’re feeling a bit blue, or if your holiday is a distant memory, then use your fresh pay packet to book one of the festivals you can still get tickets to – just so you’ve got something else to look forward to.
Wilderness
It’s this weekend, kids so, if you’ve got nothing planned, then throw caution to the wind, grab your best friend and head to this delightful festival in Oxfordshire full of interesting talks, outdoor pursuits and banquets thrown by fancy fancy chefs like Angela Hartnett and Raymond Blanc. It's basically an example of how to be terribly cultured *and *hedonistic in one wonderful weekend.
There's yoga classes from Sweaty Betty, there's archery, foraging and philosophy walks, Will Young (yes *that *Will Young) holding a mindfullness class, spa-tastic times with Neal's Yard and, if you fancy spending your weekend becoming Tom Cruise in Cocktail there's also a nifty Zubrowka 'den' which features music and cocktail making workshops.
Way Out West
This one’s in Sweden but, shock horror, flights aren’t actually that expensive. To fly out on the Thursday and come back on the Tuesday (we’ll give you a day off for recovery), RyanAir will currently charge you 112 of your English pounds to fly the friendly skies with them. Once there... you’re in Gothenburg! The coolest city like, ever!
Even better, on the music front, they’ve just announced that Lauryn Hill is going to be added to a line-up that already includes Florence & The Machine, Lianne La Havas, First Aid Kit, FKA Twigs and.... Patti Smith. How’s that for a girl power line-up?
There’s no camping, so make sure you sort your accomodation, too. You can get a space to stay on Airbnb for as little as £19. If you’re not ready to go home at the end of the day, hit up STAY out West, the festival’s healthy (or not so healthy, depending on how you look at it) after party scene.
13-15 August. For tickets (£145) click here.
Lost Festival
If you’re very cool, or into art, or just after something different, then check out Lost Festival. It’s a one day thing and it’s all very mysterious. Ticket holders are taken to a secret woodland location somewhere outside of London (in a coach with blacked out windows, might we add, they weren’t kidding about the secrecy thing).
Once there, you’re asked to change into overalls and become involved in turning the woods into a huge outdoor gallery for amazing sculptures, paintings and installations. Throughout the day (and night) there’s music, food, cinemas and (most importantly) bars. There’s camping, which you don’t have to pay extra for, although you can splash out on a fancy bell tent for £35 each. Which, let’s face it, is the closest you’re ever going to get to affording a fancy camping experience at the festival.
22 August. For tickets (£48) click here.
V Festival
It’s loud, it’s bolshy but, if you’re a pop princess who hasn’t yet developed a gag-on-sight reflex to flower headbands, then V Festival can totally be a fun weekend. At the moment, there’s still tickets available for both the Essex and Staffordshire festivals and the line-up includes Radio 1 favourites such as Calvin Harris, James Bay, Sam Smith, Ellie Goulding, George Ezra and Clean Bandit. Who knows, maybe Calvin will bring Taylor. About time someone brought *her *onstage instead.
Anyways, there’s camping, there’s bars, there’s four different stages. Go, get battered and have a super fun, unpretentious weekend.
22-23 August. For tickets (£199) click here.
Rock En Seine
Another overseas one, this one’s in Paris (on the outskirts, but totally accessible by tube). Flights are starting from £151 (EasyJet from London) but, the festival ticket’s only £84. It’s a small festival that has lots of different stages, so it feels substantial although you’re not going to have trouble walking across it in less than 15 minutes.
This year the line-up includes The Libertines, Tame Impala, Hot Chip and The Maccabees, but there’s plenty of pop-up bars to hang out in between, also the camping facilities and toilets put our English festivals to shame. The standard uniform is black skinny jeans, stripy breton tops, black Ray Ban sunglasses and a permanently lit cigarette. Allez, avoir du plaisir, mes cheries.
28-30 August. For tickets (£84) click here.
Festival No 6
Another festival that’s got a reputation for being a gloriously middle-class hipster getaway is Festival No. 6 in Port Meirion, Wales. Not only is there excellent music from acts like Metronomy, Grace Jones and Belle & Sebastian, there’s also talks with ace people like Irvine Welsh, Maxine Peake and Dom Joly. See also the long table banquets from big name chefs.
3-6 September. For tickets (£201) click here.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.